Will DeSantis’ handling of Hurricane Ian help his potential presidential bid?

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Stan Pentz walks out of a Iona neighborhood after Hurricane Ian hit Florida, U.S., September 29, 2022. Photo by Andrew West/REUTERS.

This week, Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm and one of the strongest to make landfall in the U.S. Millions of people are without power and many homes are underwater. 

Natural disasters are often tests of state and federal leadership. The Biden administration was in contact with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ahead of the storm to help support emergency response. But the stakes are high for DeSantis. The governor is seen as a frontrunner for the presidential bid in 2024, and handling this disaster could hurt or bolster his potential campaign. How is he doing so far?

DeSantis made a point during the COVID-19 pandemic to refuse federal guidance. Will a disaster of this scale help government agencies work together? Or will political tensions block necessary coordination?

Plus, Iranian protests, largely led by women, have lasted for nearly two weeks. They were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who was apprehended by the “morality police” for not wearing her head covering correctly. 

Iranian authorities are violently cracking down on protestors, which the Biden administration swiftly denounced. The White House is also getting communications equipment to protestors as the government shuts down internet access. 

Could this ignite a universal feminist movement? And will the protests force a change in U.S. policy toward Iran?  

Host David Greene discusses with Jill Filipovic, columnist at CNN.com, on the left; and Avik Roy, president at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, on the right. 

And special guest Renato Mariotti, former federal prosecutor and columnist at Politico, analyzes the upcoming consequential Supreme Court docket

What can we expect from the conservative majority court? And could cases on affirmative action, immigration policy, or voting rights drastically reshape our society?

Credits

Guests:

Host:

David Greene